Monthly Archives: September 2009

I haven’t sent someone a postcard in oh… ever, but apparently they’re still popular enough in countries like Japan to warrant a company like Epson to produce a dedicated printer for them. The Address Expert E-800 and E-600 have a 5760×1440 dpi resolution but can obviously only print postcard sized documents, and they both feature a 7-inch LCD display which I’m going to assume has to be touch sensitive. (It also doubles as a digital photo frame when not in use FYI.) Both printers are PC and Mac compatible, but the E-800 model pictured above includes a wireless keyboard allowing you to compose messages directly on the printer. “Wish you were here!”

It’s nice that Audiovox has made it easy for anyone to retrofit their minivan with a PS2 gaming system, but sometimes that still doesn’t provide enough distractions for those who aren’t behind the wheel. When you’re in for a particularly long haul you need something like the Viano “Lounge Concept” from Brabus.

It includes such luxury amenities as fully reclining leather seats, bamboo trim, a Dolby Surround sound system and a Nespresso coffee maker, but it’s the 32-inch LCD display, the Sony Vaio laptops, a Vertu Constellation cellphone and the PS3 that most people will be envious of. (And really, that’s all that’s important.) Sadly though, like the headline says, the Viano’s just a concept at this time.

Long car trips aren’t much fun, especially if you’re a kid. That was true enough at least when I was young, as we only had books, Walkmans and maybe a Gameboy to keep us occupied. Nowadays kids get in-car DVD players, laptops, iPods and DS/PSP’s. Well now they can even get a PS2 installed in their parents minivan.

Sure, many in-car DVD players give you the option to hook a gaming console to them, but then you have to mess with running the cables, and powering the stupid thing. Audiovox has crafted an overhead console which sports a 10.2-inch LCD screen and a PS2. The PS2 is in a custom housing, so they didn’t just cram a Slim into a fancy compartment. The system comes with a pair of controllers, along with two games (Rachet & Clank: Going Commando and Hot Shots Golf 3). The real kicker here is the $950 price tag. If it were a PS3 or Xbox 360, I’d still say that was too much money. However, since we’re talking about a 9-year-old console it’s just ludicrous.

I used to have issues with my alarm clocks. I wouldn’t sleep through them per se, rather I would wake up just enough to turn it off and go back to sleep. I eventually outgrew it, as I haven’t done that since my high school days. Plenty of other people have that problem, including the guy who made the above video. He essentially took his old alarm clock and hooked up a pair of 140-decibel electric horns to it. If you’re curious how to do this, and have no regard for your own hearing or the sleeping habits of everyone on your block, then the video will tell you how to do it.

Every time I see a new ebook reader, I think that they’re maybe two steps away from being ready for me to buy. I love the concept of being able to read books, comics or anything from just a little pad. If you’ve ever tried to read a book that contains the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, you’ll understand why I want an e-reader. Well the latest one from Irex is another step in the right direction.

The new Irex DR800SD e-reader has an 8.1-inch display, making it one of the larger readers on the market. Unlike the Kindle family, the screen takes up almost the entire face of the device, making it a much sleeker design. Since there are no buttons on the front, they’ve opted for a touch screen. Don’t get too excited here, unlike Sony’s latest reader it isn’t a capacitive screen. You’re still going to need a stylus to work it. They chose this route because the current capacitive screens actually make the text less readable due to the extra layer of glass that needs to be used.

Yes, we’re completely aware these Notepods are just a clever attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the iPhone and Moleskin notebooks, but we don’t care, we still want them. On one side you’ll find “52mm by 77mm of blank space floating in darkness… in a form reminiscent of a popular smart phone” (got to keep the Apple lawyers at bay I guess) and on the other, a light 6mm grid for technical sketches or tic-tac-toe. Like Field Notes, the Notepods are available in packs of 3, and even though they’re being sent from Australia, they’re just $17.95 shipped anywhere in the world.

The surprise was kind of spoiled last week when someone actually managed to buy one, but today Wacom officially unveiled their new multi-touch friendly Bamboo tablets. They essentially work like a larger version of the MacBook’s already large touchpad, allowing you to use your fingers for multi-touch gestures, as well as the traditional Wacom stylus for drawing and other more precise work.

And while it seems a bit confusing, there are actually now five different products in Wacom’s Bamboo line which each contain different levels of multi-touch vs. stylus functionality at varying price points. At the low-end there’s the Bamboo Touch and the Bamboo Pen which only support multi-touch or the stylus for $69, and on the high-end there’s the Bamboo Fun for $199 which supports all of the aforementioned features and appears to be slightly larger, and only available in silver/grey.

It’s too bad Valentine’s Day is still many months away, because this Plush Beating Heart from ThinkGeek($17.99) looks like the perfect way to creep out your significant other. With a simple shake the heart will start beating and pulsating just like the real thing, and let’s be frank, a gift is always more appreciated when it’s anatomically correct.

I thought there was a chance that Sony might have been able to breathe some life back into the PSP with the PSPgo, but so far things haven’t been looking so promising. First there’s the ridiculous price, then there’s word that some retailers have simply decided not to carry it, and now this. Given the new form factor, it’s not surprising that the PSPgo isn’t compatible with existing PSP peripherals (like the camera or the 1Seg Tuner) but there is a workaround in the form of this adapter ‘cable’ which appears to completely wrap around the Go, providing a mount on top for plugging in older accessories. Hello backwards compatibility, goodbye portability.

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.